Week 3! Be Not Afraid, Only Believe!

Hey Mom and Dad and Family and Friends!

Thank you so much for sending me those pictures.  And the watches work great! I got the black one on right now and am saving the nice one for Sunday meetings, devotionals, and specials occasions.

Oh and the My Family history books looks so great mom and dad! Seeing the pictures of you and Grandma and Grandpa Bourgeous and Grandma and Grandpa Matheson sure made me so happy. The spirit is so strong here at the MTC and constantly I can feel your prayers and love everyday and the help of our ancestors on the other side.

Our daily schedule pretty much goes like this...

We wake up at 6:30, get ready for the day, start studying at 7:00, and then at 7:45 we have breakfast. That is always yummy. The MTC has really good muffins and donuts. :) Next we have class at 8:15 where we are taught by Hermano Nash. He served his mission in Chile and was our first role play investigator. Hermano Nash teaches us how to plan as a missionary and to use Preach My Gospel to become an effective teacher and missionary that can teach with the Spirit! 

After class, we get to go to lunch and then exercise time, which usually includes sand volleyball or soccer on the MTC field. It sure is a fun way to make new friends with the other Elders and Sisters! Then we go back to class at 2:00 with Hermana Johnson. Hermana Johnson served in Argentina and is always so cheerful, kind, and teaches the gospel with enthusiasm. Hermana Johnson focuses on the grammar part of Spanish and also using Preach My Gospel. After class is dinner, and then at 5:50 it is personal study for an hour, companion study for an hour, and then language study for an hour...fewwww... lots of studying, but every minute is so worth it and is full of the spirit! After that, we plan for the next day at 9:00, and then at 9:30 we go back to the residence halls where we get ready for bed. Quiet time is at 10:15 and then lights out at 10:30. It sure is crazy to get 8 hours of sleep each day! That's the basic schedule, but it is a little different for Sundays and Tuesdays when we have a devotional.

This week though has sure helped me be more humble. On Tuesday, I fasted for help to be a more effective missionary in learning Spanish and being more Christ-like. That night, we received an amazing devotional from one of the 70! He told us 5 words that we should remember each day as a missionary and everyday in our life. They are "Be Not Afraid, Only Believe." What a powerful statement. One of the goals of the MTC is to learn 1500-2500 new words in Spanish before we leave. This goals sure scared me but what a comfort to know that as we trust in our Savior, Jesus Christ by not being afraid and then believing, through his infinite, wonderful, ever reaching atonement and love, we will be able to conquer our trials, achieve our goals, and return to our loving Heavenly Father and beloved Savior, Jesus Christ.  

Also, what a tender mercy it was to be able to play on a violin "Savior Redeemer of My Soul" for the new missionaries entering the MTC Wednesday and to have none other than Sister Caroline Potter in the room! Before, the performance, it was so awesome to see her. She is going to be an amazing missionary. The performance went well, and the Spirit was there, which was the most important part, testifying to the new missionaries that this is where they are supposed to be and that our Savior is the Redeemer of our Soul! 

There are so many talented missionaries at the MTC! The MTC has two violins and two cellos, a flute and couple other instruments that sound beautiful so they can bring the Spirit. When you walk down the halls of 1M (the main building) is so uplifting to hear missionaries playing the piano, singing, and using their talents to serve the Lord. Tomorrow, Elder Ziebler, Elder Stone, and I will play in Sacrament meeting. Oh boy am I excited!

Oh and one last thing.  Elder Gooch and I received the assignment to be the Internet Coordinators for our Zone. We get to teach new Districts and help our Zone learn the Lord's standards of Internet use. I never thought I could teach others about computers, but now I get to. I am grateful for the assignment.

Mom and Dad (and everyone) thank you for your prayers and love and support. I am so grateful to have you has my parents (and family and friends) and think of the things you have taught me daily!

I love you so much!

Love,

Elder Matheson

2 1/2 Weeks Wahoo!

October 22, 2016

Dear Mom & Dad/Family & Friends,

Thank you for telling me about the Pattersons Mom and Dad! They are truly amazing people, and I look up to their example of hard work and cheerfulness. It sure is fun to tell the elders here that I worked at the farm and got to milk Goats! 

The MTC is getting better with each day that I am here! I just found out yesterday, that Elder Stone, Elder Zielber, and I will play Savior Redeemer of My Soul for the new missionaries coming into the MTC on this coming Wednesday. Each Wednesday, it sure is fun to greet new faces and enthusiastically say "Bienvinidos al CCM!" or Welcome to the MTC. 

This week, Elder Gooch and I started teaching our TRC (Teaching Resource Center) investigators. Some of these investigators are BYU students and others are real investigators but we never are told which so that way the experience of loving and teaching the investigator is as close to the experience out in the Mission field. This week, my testimony of the Gift of Tongues has grown. As Elder Gooch and I try to be unified and plan a lesson for our investigators and do our part to study, constantly praying for help, it is so amazing to see that in the lesson, the Spirit helps us understand the words of our investigators in Spanish! We are in no way perfect though and make a lot mistakes but Julio, our investigators is always cheerful and willing to help us figure out the word we need to say. One experience in particular where the spirit was so strong was when we were teaching Julio about the importance of reading the scriptures and praying. When it was my turn to testify of these principals, the Spirit put words into my mouth that I can't remember, but they were the Lord's words. I know that as we simply have faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ and do our part to be worthy of His Spirit, that He fills our mouths with His words and we are able to teach His gospel!

Oh and for the Devotional on Tuesday, President Robbins of the 70 came to the MTC and spoke to us on how being a Missionary is attending the Lord's university where we enroll in Listening to the Spirit 101 and Getting Along with a Companion 505 (He called this Pre-Marriage 505).  What a way to think about missionary work. The Lord's work is sure humbling but has helped me grow so much!

We haven't yet got any information on our VISAs, but I know that everything is in the Lord's hands and He will take care of our district!

 

Thank you for your love and support! The emails sure give me courage to continue serving mom and dad. Also, the donuts from Mary were delicious, and I got her kind card, and Sarah's card and treats constantly make me smile. Also, Jared and his wife were so sweet and sent me Pumpkin Spice cookies, in plastic bags and bubble wrapped, how that made me smile. And Aunt Missy sure has been sweet to send me a conference talk these past weeks which have strengthened my testimony!

I Love you Mom and Dad, and everyday I am trying to do my very best to serve the Lord!

P.S. Mom when you usually wash pants, my pants say machine washable and then steam iron afterward. I have just been washing them and then drying them for 10 minutes and then letting them air dry. Is that the right way to do it? Oh and do you think you and dad would be willing to send me a new watch, I accidentally dropped mine and it broke.

On Temple Day my companion and I saw Sister Sancie Horman from Enoch, UT

Elder Caleb Davis, also from Enoch, at MTC meal time

Temple Day At The Provo Temple

 

A few other awesome MTC missionaries

2nd P-Day and An Absolutely Amazing Week October 15, 2016

October 15, 2016

Hello Family and Friends!

This week has been absolutely amazing. I don't even know where to start. First things first, there are 10 elders in my district. There are Elder Nielson, Elder Utley, Elder Barnet, Elder Tillet, Elder Ludlow, Elder Hawkins, Elder Davis, Elder Hoole, and Elder Gooch and I.

My companion, Elder Gooch is from Odgen and is about 6' 1''.  He is very hard working and brilliant at Spanish. Also, he is very patient. The first week, it sure has been fun getting used to having a an amazing companion around you all day.  

Dad will like to know this that Elder Trent Utley is from Richfield and is in Matthew Creamer's ward. He is serving in the Guayaquil, Ecuador Mission. Elder Nielson and him are so fun to be around and have amazing testimonies. Elder Nielson. Is also so amazing at Spanish. He answers any of our questions and is like another teacher to us. I love my district so much. They are obedient to the mission rules and they each are so fun and friendly.

Spanish is getting easier too and I can almost roll my "R" ! In the MTC all of the missionaries and older missionaries testify to you about the gift of tongues. That as you study hard, try and speak in Spanish in class, at lunch, and in the residence hall, and most importantly as you pray fervently and ask Heavenly Father to bless you to teach with His spirit, then you will have the gift of tongues and be able to speak Spanish. Elder Gooch and I experienced this when we taught one of our lessons to Giovanni. (He just became our teacher yesterday and is really called Brother Nash).  Elder Gooch and I prayed really hard to have the Spirit and we trusted in the Lord during the Lesson by simple trying to speak the lesson we prepared in Spanish, and it was amazing to see that we could understand his questions and communicate back in our 1 week Spanish Vocabulary. Truly, the Lord answers prayers.

This week has been so spiritual. This last Sunday was so Spiritually uplifting. In our branch meeting, we had fast and testimony meeting. Many of the Elders and Sisters who were leaving that week bore their testimony about the power of the spirit and the gift of tongues. They helped me realize that the MTC is not just a mission training center but the "Make The Change" center where you become a missionary. After an amazing steak dinner, it was our privilege as missionaries to go to to the Sunday Devotional. The speaker of the Devotional was a past mission president who is the head secretary of the mission department. He spoke to us on the importance of repentance and how repentance is not a process that is to make you feel bad or unclean about yourself rather repentance in the Hebrew form of the word means "to turn away from sin and come closer to God." The speaker also stressed to us that an effective missionary is not one who repents less because he doesn't sin rather an effective missionary is some who repents daily, turning away from sin and closer to God. 

After the devotional, as a district, we got to go see a recorded devotional from when Elder Holland came to the MTC. Wow, was his talk a call to be a missionary. From Elder Holland we learned that there are only two callings in the church where you get to be called to be an "Elder." These two positions are an Apostle and a missionary. Elder Holland taught us that we as missionaries have the power and authority of God and in some since we are like an Apostle just with a lower case "a". Wow! I had never realized this. In his message he boldly declared unto us not to waste one minute as a missionary. The Lord needs every second we can offer. This inspired message sure shook out any blues in my heart as I realized what an honor it is to be a servant of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Also, I joined the MTC choir. It is such an amazing experience to bear your testimony with over 500 other Elders and Sisters through music.  We practice every Sunday after dinner and right before the devotional on Tuesday where we get to bear our testimony with the speaker.

Tuesday, was another day where the Spirit washed over us. It was such a privilege to have Elder Bednar and Sister Bednar come and speak to us. Their message was centered on the importance of studying General Conference.  Elder Bednar gave us three steps on how to study general conference and then he would show a portion of a general conference talk to help demonstrate the point. Elder Bednar told us that the past general conference talks should become our walk and talk for the next 6 months. He taught us to look for

1) A doctrine and Principal

2) The Invitation to act

3) Promised blessings

 

Elder Bednar gave us a prophetic promise that as we would  study, search, dig deep, and pray about multiple conference talks, looking for the doctrine in the talk, the invitation to act, and the promised blessings that  "you will come to know, not just in your mind, but in your heart, that Jesus is our Lord and Savior.

It has been such a blessing this week to study this past general conference in my personal study and see that as I prayed to understand the words of the prophets and general authorities and applied Elder Bednar's council, a wave of spiritual revelation has come.  I am so grateful for this opportunity to be a missionary, and I know this is where I am suppose to be. Thank you for your love and support mom and dad and family. Your letters and prayers have given me strength through out the day. I know Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, and that through His atonement we can repent of our sins and come closer to Heavenly Father and receive daily strength.

Thank you for you love and support!

Love,

Elder Matheson

P.S. Two other Elders and I auditioned with Savior, Redeemer of My Soul and we made the auditions and might play in a devotional or Branch meeting in the coming week.

 

I forgot to mention it has been such a blessing to see Elder Austin Cox, Sister Kaitie Mackelprang, Sister Stephanie Alger, Sister Sancie Horman, and Elder Caleb Davis at the MTC!​

 

Our MTC District At The Provo Temple and In Spanish Class

 Elder Gooch and Elder Matheson - MTC Companions

Seeing a Friendly, Familiar Face Is Always A Blessing

 Sister Stephanie Alger & Elder Matthew Matheson

Both From The Midvalley 2nd Ward

 

A Little Package To Brighten His Day

October 8, 2016

Mary and Jason!

Thank you so much for your kind package! It made my day. The gray sweater will definitely come in handy when it is a little cold, and the candy is so good. 

It was so amazing Mary, on the first day we got to the MTC, we went to three different classes where over 100 elders and sisters participated together in teaching three different investigators. One was a non-member BYU student who had questions about receiving answers and help from God! It was so amazing to testify to her about Priesthood blessings and to let her know that she can have access to those same blessings. Thank you for your love, support and prayers!

 

Love,

 

Elder Matheson

3 Days At The MTC - 1st P-Day - October 8, 2016

Hola Mama!

Thank you for all the Email addresses! The MTC is wonderful and challenging. Since there are so many missionaries, each zone has a different P-Day. Mine is on Saturday instead of Monday. Mom I have learned so much. Our Spanish teacher's name is Hermana Johnson. She served her mission in Argentina and is so enthusiastic that you learn Spanish really quickly. Elder Hooch (my companion) and I taught our first lesson in Spanish to an investigator named Geovanni. From what I have heard this investigator is really one of our future teachers but none the less the lesson was so challenging to teach in Spanish but Elder Hooch and I made it through. In Spanish class, we have been learning how to pray in Spanish and the whole purpose of our missions which is to: Invite and help others come unto Jesus Christ by Faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. Tonight we pass our purpose off in Spanish.

The food here is amazing. Each day it is something new and each meal there is an ice cream chest that is full of ice cream sandwiches, cream sickles, and fudge sickles. Wow, it is good. But one of the most amazing things about the MTC is seeing where everyone is from and where everyone is going. I have met some elders from New Zealand who are going to California, there are Elders from Malaysia here, and there are so many other people going to every country imaginable. The scriptures are being fulfilled as the Gospel is going to every nation, tongue, and people.  Everyone in our district is going to Guayaquil, Ecuador, and my companion, another elder, and myself our going to Santa Cruz, Bolivia. They had a similar circumstance where their Visa was delayed. 

We met our branch president, his wife, and his counselors yesterday. They are amazing leaders and servants of the Lord. They really taught us what a sacred honor it is to be an Elder. They taught us that only the Apostles and missionaries for the Church go by elder. What a sacred calling. We also learned that as a missionary, you should not talk with your hands in your pocket, you should always stand up when you shake someone's hand, and that you are a direct representative our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. 

Thank you for the letters mom and for everyone's support. Aunt Missy and Mary sent me a letter. I love the MTC, and I know that as I continue to work and pray for the gift of tongues that I will be able to learn Spanish. 

Love Elder Matheson!

P.S. I saw Elder Chad Banks, Sister Kaitie Mackelprang, and Cameron's cousin from Idaho.

 

 

Arrival!! - 1st Email To Let My Family Know I Safely Arrived - October 5, 2016

Hola Mama y Papa y la mi familia!

The MTC is amazing! Everyone who is here greets you with the biggest smile and a "Welcome to the MTC!" I can already tell that this is where I am suppose to be. The classes are so cool because they only speak Spanish while in the class, and my first teacher is very nice and she is very patient as I try and remember what to say in Spanish. The MTC is also so big and is full of so many amazing missionaries who love the Lord. 

I love you Mom, Dad, Sarah, Cameron, Mary, Jason, Michael, Delaney! Thank you for all your love and support.

Love,

Elder Matheson

Reporting To The MTC

Elder Matheson was originally assigned to report to the Peru Missionary Training Center.  Due to a visa delay, he was rerouted to the Provo MTC and happily reported on Wednesday, October 5, 2016.

Off he went with a huge smile on his face...never looking back.

Called To Serve

Matthew Keith Matheson has been called to serve for a period of two years in the Santa Cruz Bolivia Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

   His journey as a missionary for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ officially began on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. when he was set apart as a missionary by President Calvin Rollins of the Enoch Utah West Stake.